Arsenal and Chelsea eyeing free transfer deal for Schalke star

Arsenal and Chelsea are chasing Schalke ace Jefferson Farfan and hope to land him on a free transfer in the summer, according to reports in his native Peru.

Peruvian newspaper Trome has claimed that the Premier League pair are highly interested in the 27-year-old winger, who is out of contract at the Bundesliga club in the summer.

It has been suggested that a new deal at Schalke is unlikely because of his wage demands and they are resigned to losing him for nothing.

But Arsenal and Chelsea are not the only clubs interested in the Peru international, with Juventus and Inter Milan also keeping tabs on his situation.

The Russian Premier League might be Schalke's only hope of recouping some of the £8m they paid PSV for his services back in 2008.

The transfer window does not shut until February 24, meaning clubs in Russia could sign him for a fee before the end of the month. Rubin Kazan and Zenit St Petersburg have been linked with Farfan in the past and they could agree a cut-price deal with Schalke.

But if he is still a Schalke player by the summer, the two London clubs could offer him a shot at the Premier League.